Soap dish-engageable utility shelf



Se t. 4, 1962 A. BISCHOFF 3,052,362

SOAP DISH-ENGAGEABLE UTILITY SHELF Filed Aug. 22, 1960 INVENTOR. 50 H6.4 ANTON BISCHOFF nitccl The present invention consists of a combinationutility shelf and mounting means removably engageable with a soap dishcarried by a vertical wall whereby to support the utility shelf closelyadjacent to and horizontally outwardly projecting from the wall; saidutility shelf being adapted to support various utilitarian objects suchas soap, shampoo, brushes, and various toiletry and personal groomingarticles. Furthermore, one portion of the outwardly directed utilityshelf may be provided with upwardly projecting spacer means adapted tosupport a cake of soap in spaced relationship above the surface of theshelf member so that it will not lie in moisture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a soapdish-engageable utility shelf of the character referred to above whichis of extremely simple, cheap, foolproof construction such as to beconducive to widespread use of the device.

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description which followsand will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful studythereof.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, oneexemplary embodiment of the device is illustrated in thehereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying single drawing sheetand is described in detail hereinafter. However, the device is shown incooperation with two different types of wall-mounted soap dishes.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary oblique view showing one exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention in mounted relationship with respect to a soapdish of the wallrecess type and with the outwardly projecting utilityshelf carrying a plurality of toiletry objects shown in broken lines.

FIG. 2 is a reduced-size top plan view of the embodiment of theinvention illustrated in FIG. 1, but shown exclusively of the wall andthe wall-recess type of soap dish adapted to support the device as shownin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of FIG. 2 with the left front edgeWall partly broken away to show in elevation the upwardly projectingspacer means adapted to support a cake of soap.

PEG. 4 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 6-6 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a reduced-size oblique view generally similar to FIG. 1 butshows the utility shelf of the present invention engaged with respect toa soap dish of the projecting wall-mounted type rather than thewall-recess type as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to the figures for exemplary purposes, one illustrativeembodiment of the invention takes a typical exemplary form wherein itcomprises a substantially fiat, substantially horizontal shelf means,indicated generally at 14}, which is of substantially rectangularconfiguration, as seen in plan View, and which is defined by twoparallel longitudinal edges 11 and 12 and two parallel transverse or endedges 13 and 14 perpendicular to the longitudinal edges 11 and 12. Theedges 11, 12, 13, and 14 are rectangularly connected at the ends thereofand are carried by a fiat bottom member 15 which has two intermediateupstanding walls 16 and 17 whereby to divide the interior of the shelfmember into three compartments comprising a left compartment 18, a rightcom- 3,52,3fi2 l 'atented Sept. 4, 1962 partment 19, and an intermediatecompartment 20, each adapted to support appropriate toiletry or otherpersonal grooming articles, or the like.

In the specific example illustrated, the left compartment 18 of theshelf member 10 is provided with upwardly projecting spacer means,indicated generally at 21, adapted to support a cake of soap, such as isshown in broken lines at 22 in FIG. 1, thereupon in spaced andventilated relationship above the surface of the bottom member 15underlying the compartment 18 of the shelf member 1%. In the specificexample illustrated, the spacer means 21 consists of a plurality ofinverted channel members 23 connected between opposed end members 24 andeach carrying thereabove a plurality of upwardly directed projections25. The entire spacer means 21 may be of molded plastic construction orof any other suitable material and/ or mode of construction, as desired.

It should be noted that the bottom wall 15 in each of the compartments18, 19, and 20 is apertured by a plurality of apertures A in order toprovide efiective drainage.

The shelf member 10 is provided with mounting means adapted toeffectively engage a wall-mounted soap dish for mounting the shelfmember horizontally outwardly thereof. In the specific form of theinvention illustrated the resilient mounting means is indicatedgenerally at 26 and comprises a curved flat resilient engaging member 27of substantially C-shaped configuration having opposed spaced springfinger portions 28 at the top thereof separated by an open region 29therebetween and with the bottom portion of the engaging member 27firmly connected to the shelf member 10 by means of a panel 30underlying and connected to the central portion of the bottom wall 15,although the invention is not specifically limited to this mode ofconnection. The arrangement is such that the resilient mounting means 26is effectively carried by and positioned centrally rear wardly adjacentto the longitudinal rear edge 12 of the shelf member 10 in a manner suchthat the spring members 28 may be resiliently forcibly moved toward eachother to allow insertion thereof into a wall-recess type of soap dish,as indicated at 31 in FIG. 1 whereby the entire shelf member 10 will befirmly held immediately outwardly adjacent to the wall 32 carrying thesoap dish 31 in the manner best shown in FIG. 1.

On the other hand, the resilient mounting means 26 may be resilientlyengaged with the exterior of a soap dish 31 of the wall-mountedprojecting type as shown in FIG. 7, which is mounted in outwardlyprojecting relationship on the wall 32'. This arrangement willeffectively mount the soap dish 10 outwardly of the wall 32 in themanner best shown in FIG. 7.

Either of the two mounting arrangements may be employed in appropriateareas such as kitchen, bathroom, shower, or wherever such types ofwall-mounted soap dishes are found, and the purpose of the utility shelfof the present invention is to provide a greater storage shelf area thanis provided by the conventional soap dish, thus allowing a variety oftoiletry and/or personal grooming articles to be carried thereby.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific descriptionthereof set forth in this application are for the purpose ofillustrating the present invention and are not to be construed aslimiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specificstructure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore.Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantiallyequivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventiveconcept of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A soap dish-engageable utility shelf, comprising: a substantiallyfiat substantially horizontal shelf means of 53 substantiallyrectangular configuration defined by two parallel longitudinal edges andtwo parallel transverse edges perpendicular to said longitudinal edges;resilient mounting means carried by said shelf means projectingsubstantially centrally rearwardly therefrom and including a wide curvedresilient engaging member having edges lying in planes parallel to thevertical planes containing said parallel edges and of substantiallyupwardly open C- shaped configuration removably resiliently enga-geableWithin a soap dish of the Wall-recess type for firmly mount- 10 ing theshelf means immediately outwardly adjacent thereto and along and againsta vertical wall carrying the soap dish.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.12.8,779 Hallenscheid Aug. 12, 1941 1,703,090 Ashfield Feb. 26, 19292,359,797 Schnider Oct. 10, 1944 2,472,058 Artley June 7, 1949 2,633,996Litchfield Apr. 7, 1953 2,839,201 Auster June 17, 1958

